What would you upgrade first?

wbuchan

wbuchan

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I've got a 2015 T6 T28 Trendline Bluemotion (ex panel van) 5 speed (late T5.1 engine)

The van was converted to a camper sometime in 2017/18. It has an underslung gas tank and gas heating. Hob, sink, grill, fridge, pop top. Two captain’s chairs. Leisure battery and 250W solar panel that also charges the leisure battery and trickle charges the main battery. Towbar. As a camper there is little I want to do to it.

The van is otherwise basically stock. 16” steel wheels. Stock suspension. Stock power 102ps 75kw. Nothing has been done to upgrade either the aesthetics or performance.

I could… do all sorts of things to it, subject to budget:
- Remap power
- Bigger/wider wheels
- Suspension, it’s not awesome on corners and it’s hard on bumps until it’s loaded
- Various things like side bars or mud flaps
- Awnings
- Better speakers or even just some speakers for the rear of the van
- Headlights upgrade
- Front parking sensors
- The list goes on and on

What would you do first and why?
 
We have a LWB High Top 2016 T6 T32 Trendline Bluemotion (ex panel van) 5 speed (late T5.1 engine 102ps 75kW)
We get between 40 and 45 miles to the gallon. It pulls well on hills. Unfortunately it is speed limited to 71mph.
We would not risk changing this by having it remapped.
The ride quality is good, we are pleased with its handling and so once again we would not change wheels just for looks.
We have fitted running boards on both sides which has made a hugh difference to getting in and out. We also fitted a small step on tow bar to make it easier to get in and out rear doors.
We have no awning and have designed it so there is nothing carried loose inside.
We have an Anker blue tooth speaker that cost about £30 which we use for radio/music/films that we play via phone or tablet.
We would love to have better lights but the cost and difficulty of fitting has put us off.
Front parking sensors would be useful.
We have fitted a camera to the rear which we find a useful addition.
We strongly recommend a diesel heater, compressor fridge and lithium battery.
Everything is in our van and it is always ready to go.

Hope this helps
 
Suspension for better handling.
Wider wheels for better cornering.
Awning because it's summer when you will use it most.
Remap for smoother acceleration.
Speakers and door sound proofing.
Side bars and flaps.
Lights because it's summer and you wont use them much yet.
I wouldn't even do front sensors because I have eyes.
 
I'd get better shock absorbers, the stock ones are pretty poor.
When I bought my van it had factory suspension and it was rubbish on undulating B - roads it was like being on a bouncy castle even at 50mph.
I got better shocks and stayed at factory ride height. The driving experience was much improved.
 
DaveD said:
I'd get better shock absorbers, the stock ones are pretty poor.
When I bought my van it had factory suspension and it was rubbish on undulating B - roads it was like being on a bouncy castle even at 50mph.
I got better shocks and stayed at factory ride height. The driving experience was much improved.
Click to expand...
what did you fit ?
 
wbuchan said:
I've got a 2015 T6 T28 Trendline Bluemotion (ex panel van) 5 speed (late T5.1 engine)

The van was converted to a camper sometime in 2017/18. It has an underslung gas tank and gas heating. Hob, sink, grill, fridge, pop top. Two captain’s chairs. Leisure battery and 250W solar panel that also charges the leisure battery and trickle charges the main battery. Towbar. As a camper there is little I want to do to it.

The van is otherwise basically stock. 16” steel wheels. Stock suspension. Stock power 102ps 75kw. Nothing has been done to upgrade either the aesthetics or performance.

I could… do all sorts of things to it, subject to budget:
- Remap power
- Bigger/wider wheels
- Suspension, it’s not awesome on corners and it’s hard on bumps until it’s loaded
- Various things like side bars or mud flaps
- Awnings
- Better speakers or even just some speakers for the rear of the van
- Headlights upgrade
- Front parking sensors
- The list goes on and on

What would you do first and why?
Click to expand...
Keep it “as is” and spend the money on diesel & use the van. You can bolt as much bling onto it as you like, but it’ll still only take you to the same places.
P.s. if you stick daft wheels on it & slam it to the floor, you probably won’t even get to where you can now :whistle:
 
Salty Spuds said:
Keep it “as is” and spend the money on diesel & use the van. You can bolt as much bling onto it as you like, but it’ll still only take you to the same places.
P.s. if you stick daft wheels on it & slam it to the floor, you probably won’t even get to where you can now :whistle:
Click to expand...
Yep the wheel thing baffles me too.
I will soundproof insulate and chuck a mattress in and enjoy it
 
@wbuchan - as above, once you have got used to the van and enjoyed it for a while you will figure out what is most important to you.

That said... a good suspension upgrade would always be right up at the top of my T6 wish list, as improvements to the wallowing stock suspension on my camper were significant. Following a suspension upgrade my van was immediately much more pleasant to drive - it became very sure footed and speed could be carried through corners safely & comfortably.

It looks like you're in Bristol and so I would not hesitate to recommend contacting Chris @The Van Cave when the time comes to figure out what suspension options could work best for you. (I opted for standard ride height and a set of Koni shocks.)

There are countless posts in the forum on this subject already, so in short - if you expect to be doing much driving in the dark the H4 to H7 headlight upgrade is definitely worth considering too.
 
I did the following in this order-

Pendle remap to 172bhp. Booked it in before I picked the van up.
Headlights - THQ V2 as the original ones are crap.
I have done other things like Vanshades etc but suspension and maybe 18” wheels are on my next to do list. I hate the body roll so going for Koni shocks and new anti roll bars. However, having spent over £3500k on it (that’s taking off what a cambelt and water belt cost), me and my wallet are taking a breather for now.
 
All personal preference as to what is your priority / need / want / budget…
The only thing I wouldn’t do from your list is a remap
 
I had a wish list but resisted until I’d driven and used the van for a bit. The list changed after that.

First was some essential service items such as cambelt and tensioners and new tyres. The first main ‘upgrade’ was H7 headlights as I use the van at night and wanted to be able to see where I’m going! Then a tailgate bike rack to carry the bikes. Next up (Wednesday) will be the suspension as my van is lowered, but on original shocks so the ride is crap. After that may well be speakers and/or head unit as I like my tunes. Future upgrades will be focused on the camper side to make it more user friendly.

If you want some cheap quick wins then things like wind deflectors, ‘sounds like a Golf’ door seals, dash seal, mats, badge decals, LED side indicators etc are worth a look.
 
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